Reuters
New York, Sept 11: Germany’s Angelique Kerber began her reign as World No.1 in imperious style battling past a determined Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to win the US Open final here Saturday and claim her second Grand Slam title of the year.
Kerber, who officially takes over from Serena Williams as the world’s top ranked player Monday, underlined her No.1 status displaying the heart of a champion as she fought off a fierce challenge from Czech 10th seed Pliskova on a steamy afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 28-year-old began the Grand Slam year beating Serena Williams to lift the Australian Open title and celebrated again Saturday when she became the first German to win the US Open in 20 years.
Kerber recovered from a break down in the third set, pouncing on her wilting opponent with two breaks in the third set to end a compelling, high-quality battle of attrition that stretched for two hours and seven minutes.
“It’s just amazing,” a beaming Kerber, told an adoring crowd after being handed the winner’s cheque of $3.5 million. “When I was a kid I was always dreaming to be the number one player in the world and win Grand Slams and today is the day I won my second Grand Slam here, especially in New York. I’m the No.1 player Monday. All the dreams came true this year.”
Pliskova, who arrived at Flushing Meadows with a reputation of Grand Slam under-achiever having never before been beyond the third round of the major, shed that label by making it all the way to the final and taking on back-to-back world number ones.
After beating top ranked Serena Williams in the semifinals to end the American’s record-equalling 186 consecutive weeks stay at the top of the rankings, the big-hitting Pliskova, who has led the WTA Tour in aces the last two season, attacked her successor in the final but could not break down the tireless German’s defence.
The match opened with Kerber breaking a jittery Pliskova and ended the same way, though for most part it was a very even contest. Kerber’s loss of the second set was the first time the entire championship that she had dropped a set.
But she fought back in the third set and wore down the towering Czech, who started to wilt in the punishing conditions, hunching over her racket at the end of almost every point. Kerber, sensing an opening, stepped up the pressure and pace getting triple break point at 5-4 and closed out the contest on the first match point.
Aggressive style almost pays off
Karolina Pliskova suffered a narrow US Open defeat at the hands of Angelique Kerber here Saturday, but the Czech 10th seed also proved her mettle as one of the most dangerous attacking players in women’s tennis.
The 6-foot 1-inch Pliskova fought back from a set down to give Kerber, one of the best defensive players in history, a major scare. That in part is due to 24-year-old Pliskova’s previous win. She felled top seeded American Serena Williams in straight sets in the semifinals, and took down sister Venus Williams earlier in the tournament. For Pliskova, making the final was the best showing of her five year professional career. Ranked No. 11 in the world, she had not previously advanced beyond the third round of a Grand Slam.
Kerber’s win ended an 11-match winning streak for the big-serving Pliskova, who had beaten the German just three weeks earlier in the Cincinnati final.
Pliskova said she hopes it will be the first of many slams finals. “I found out I can play my best tennis on these big courts,” she told reporters. “I believe I can win matches like this next time.”
Though Pliskova prefers blistering ground strokes to the serve-and-volley game that defined past Czech champions such as Martina Navratilova and Helena Sukova, her serve remains her biggest weapon. She has crushed more aces than any other player on the WTA tour this year, but Saturday that weapon was not quite enough.
Although Pliskova won 80 percent of her serve and volley points, she deployed the tactic only ten times. Against the fierce counter-punching German, Pliskova said she had to try everything in her toolbox to take control of points.
Murray and Soares sweep doubles title
Britain’s Jamie Murray and Brazil’s Bruno Soares swept the Spanish duo of Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-3 to win the US Open doubles title here Saturday for their second Grand Slam title of the year.
Murray and Soares had each lost in the Flushing Meadows final with a different partner- Murray last year with Australian John Peers, and Soares in 2013 with Austrian Alexander Peya. They made sure the trophy would not slip away a second time, adding the US Open to the Australian Open title they won to start the year.
Fourth-seeded Murray and Soares become the first team to win multiple slam doubles titles in a season since American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan won three in 2013. Murray, the brother of twice Wimbledon singles champion Andy Murray, became the first British man to claim the US Open doubles crown since Roger Taylor in 1972, while Soares is the first Brazilian to land the title.
By the measure of Grand Slam tournaments won this year, elder brother Jamie now has bragging rights, leading Andy 2-1. He told reporters he is playing the best tennis of his career, and that his younger brother’s success this year has helped with motivation. “Just seeing him doing so well and wanting to have some of that success as well,” Murray said of how his younger brother’s recent string of big wins has made him work harder.
